What video card should i get??

[CtK]

selling my old GF3 TI200
and want to get a GF4...
these are the 2 im looking at from Newegg.com

Albatron GF4 Ti4200 TURBO for $199
or
Leadtek GF4 Ti4400 for $190??

i think the 4400 is the better deal but ppl say this 4200 model is better??

any thoughts??
not really gonna overclock
maybe just a little

or maybe get this used Ti4600 from For Sales/Trade Forum??
4600

hehehe
any replies will be appreciated
thanks

 

[nRollo]

"i think the 4400 is the better deal but ppl say this 4200 model is better??"
Those are interesting people who recommend Albatron over Leadtek, and 4200s over 4400s. (psst- the higher the "Ti" number, the faster the card, in general)

 

[AnAndAustin]

Manu makes VERY little diff for GF4TI cards, stock speed, o/c'ability, features, image quality etc are all pretty much identical. BUT don't forget to factor in that there are becoming more super-4200 cards available which use the same 4400/4600 board desing with very fast BGA RAM. These '4300' cards often o/c better than the 4400 cards and exceed 4600 stock speeds. Examples being Asus Deluxe (poorest '4300'), Suma Special Edition and Albatron P Turbo. However these tend to cost as much as 4400 cards and the 4400 cards guarantee 275/550 stock and about a 300/600 o/c too PLUS they sell on better than a 4200 no matter how much it's enhanced.

So in short your options look like this:

Any 4200-64MB $120-130 - stock=250/500 o/c=300/600
Any 4200-128MB $140-150 - stock=250/444 o/c=300/550
'4300'-128MB $180-200 - stock=270/550ish o/c=300/650 to 300/700
4400-128MB $180-200 - stock=275/550 o/c=300/650
4600-128MB $210-230 - stock=300/650 o/c=300/700

A 4400 is about 10% faster than a 4200 and similarly a 4600 is about 10% faster than a 4400. Anyway, another option is to stick with your GF3 which should still play all current games inc UT2003 very well. Going to any GF4TI will obviously improve your 3D speed as well as giving you much better image quality, TVout, dual display, AA and it will really get a lot more out of your XP2000+ CPU! If these advantages are worth the added cost then cool, but the next 'necessary' upgrade for GF3/GF4TI/Rad8500/Rad9000 owners is really going to be the 'budget' versions of Rad9700 or NV30.

 

[CtK]

ya im gettin a GF4 now so when the NV30 comes out it which i think is not till next year the GF4 will hold me over till than
besides its only gonna cost me $100 or so to upgrade since i sold my modded Gainward GF3 Ti200 for $100

i guess ill be getting the Leadtek 4400??
or maybe the used 4600 from the Sales Forum
if the guy PMs me back anytime soon

 

[AnAndAustin]

If it's an interim solution until you can get your hands on NV30 then GF4TI4200 would be very wise as it has perf very close to both the 4400 and 4600 esp when o/c'ed and it will only cost you $20-40 over what you're getting for your GF3! If you are thinking of something that little bit faster then a 4600 would really be your best bet as it costs little more than 4400 or an enahnced 4200 and you'll get a very nice price for it in 3 moths time, even though a 4200 should still fetch a nice price! I'd still be inclined to hold on to my GF3 if I were in your shoes for the sake of a few months and then grab NV30, Rad9700 or any 'budget' DX9 card if available. If you do get a GF4TI then I'd strongly suggest you wait for a good 6 months which should definitely see nice price drops for NV30 and Rad9700 as well as the 'value' versions ... plus they'll be plenty of reliable info and reviews to ponder over too!

 

[CtK]

a GF4 Ti4600 is like $50 more than the Leadtek Ti4400 from Newegg

i think the Ti4400 will be ok for 4-6 months or so

dont u think??

 

[AnAndAustin]

Heck the 4200 will be more than decent for a good 6-12 months. The 4400 are great cards and if my budget had been bigger I'd have plumped for one myself. Guaranteed 275/550 and an o/c which generally equals 4600 perf ... those 4400 are definitely great cards.

 

[CtK]

newegg has the Leadtek 4400 $9 cheaper than the Albatron Ti4200 Turbo!!!

i guess im gonna be getting the 4400

but im really looking for a Gainward 4400 which is pretty impossible to find

 

[AnAndAustin]

No need at all for a Gainward in the GF4 cards ... Image quality, perf and o/c'ability are all pretty much identical across manus.

Albatron Ti4200 Turbo is actually superior to the 4400 cards as it should reach the same speeds when o/c'ed as 4600 do ... ie 300/700! However, when the time comes to sell your card on people are only going to be bothered about model number, plus a 4400 is hardly a slow poke as they should hit 300/650 (4600 speeds) anyway. All these cards are yummy, you can't really lose! Check out the reviews of the enhanced 4200 cards (they use the 4400/4600 board design and fast BGA RAM) ...

Albatron P Turbo
Suma Special Edition
Asus Deluxe

 

[CtK]

the thing is everyone is selling those ENHANCED Ti4200 for over the Leadtek Ti4400 prices and even higher than some Ti4600
the ASUS is selling for $230 at newegg!!

 

[CtK]

SCREW IT!!!!!!!!!!!
im tired of reading reviews im just gonna get the Leadtek Ti4400 from Newegg for $190!!!!

unless someone by tomorrow morning changes my mind

 

[AnAndAustin]

Newegg:

Checking newegg products and pricing the Leadtek TI4400 $190 seems by far the best buy if you can afford it. Leadtek are a very good brand and it's the cheapest 4400 at newegg too.

The standard 4200 cards at newegg are largely very disappointing as AOpen and EVGA are the worst manus going for GF4TI cards. The AOpen is the only known manu to be cheaping out on the RAM on 4200-128MB and using 4.5ns instead of 4.0ns which means you barely get a 5% o/c let alone TI4400 speeds as you do with 4.0ns. EVGA 4200-64MB again is the only known manu to skimp on the 4200-64MB cards and use 4.0ns instead of 3.6ns again meaning virtually no o/c at all instead of the 4600 clocks many 3.6ns achieve. The frustrating thing is that these manus are only saving like $4 by cheaping out on the memory and it not only hits the o/c but the overall stability and build of the card! My advice, avoid AOpen and EVGA gfx cards esp the GF4TI ones.

 

[CtK]

thanks for the help everyone

i just ordered the Leadtek Ti4400 from Newegg.com
with FREE SHIPPING!!

VERY NICE!!

 

[alkemyst]

newegg rox...anyone know who started that company....always a good deal.